About: Our popular chain offers a variety of frozen treats including its famous Italian Ice, made fresh daily with real fruit, available in over sixty-five flavors, Old-Fashioned Frozen Custard, Milkshakes, Sundaes with Unlimited Toppings, Light Custard, Frozen Custard Cakes, Custard Cookie Sandwiches made with OREO®, layered Gelati as well as its signature Misto® and Blendini® creations. Since 1984, “Ice, Custard, Happiness,” has been the brand’s motto, and almost thirty years later, Rita’s is still dedicated to serving up a big dose of happiness with their freshly made, delicious, custom treats, in a fun-filled atmosphere. (Source: Rita’s Italian Ice on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/RitasItalianIceCompany/info)

The ambiance: You know, it’s like an ice cream shop, except you can get Italian Ice and custard, which is just that much closer to God.

Image courtesy franchiseexpo.com

The Munch: A friend mentioned Rita’s once to me, so when went made our trek to Pizzeria Limone and I saw it just right there, I decided I’d need to try it out with Mom. After all, Italian ice sounded intriguing, and who doesn’t love frozen custard. I ordered:

Gelati: Juicy Pear topped with Chocolate Custard

I know, the bright green and brown are kind of an off-putting color combination.

Mom said it was weird that I ordered Juicy Pear with Chocolate, and it’s probably not for everyone, but I think that’s an underused flavor combination. The Gelati is one of several different iterations of Italian Ice and/or Custard you can order at Rita’s, and it’s just ice with custard on top, giving you the best of both worlds. The ice flavors vary from day to day, but the custard flavors are pretty constant, and they are: vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and orange cream (at this particular location).

The Italian ice is somewhere in between a Sno-Cone and Hawaiian Shaved Ice, and it’s AWESOME. I loved the flavor and texture, and then when you combined it with a spoonful of thick, creamy, indulgent frozen custard … mmm. I want to go there right now, but it’s Sunday and 1. I don’t patronize businesses on Sundays and 2. it’s not open anyhow.

The bill: ~$4 – $4.50. This was another Mom treat, so I’m unsure about the exact cost, but I don’t recall looking at the menu board and thinking, “Whoa that’s expensive.” Plus they have a punch card system (it’s an app, and a brilliant one at that), so after eight purchases, you get one free.

Total score: 8/10 — I wish there were more frozen custard flavors, but the Italian ice flavors are plentiful (and creative), so that makes up for it. I’ll definitely be hitting Rita’s up regularly during the summer months!